MUSHROOM POTATO CUTLET

Mushroom is yet another staple in our house. I usually make Garlic Mushroom Stir-Fry, Mushroom Fried Rice, Mushroom Potato Curry or use it in omelettes or pasta. I checked for mushroom recipes online and mostly Mushroom Chilly/Manchurian/Gravy or Garlic Mushroom/Mushroom Sauce recipes popped up. Not feeling like making any of these, I decided to make cutlets with these lovely button mushrooms.

 My mother makes the best cutlets ever. They are thin and crispy on the outside, just how I like them. I don’t have this recipe written down and randomly throw in the spices to suit our taste and the quantity of the meat and vegetable too vary each time. I always use potato in my cutlets as the ‘binding’ ingredient. I don’t like using flour, bread or cornflour in the patty. The quantity of the potato would depend on the accompanying ingredient.

I cook the mixture before flattening them into patties and then shallow fry it. Vegetables that get soggy on cooking would require more potato to bind the patty whereas, when making mutton cutlets, I wouldn’t want to ruin the taste of mutton by adding more potato.

Skip shaped and coated his baby-sized cutlets and here he is, trying to taste the honey-mustard sauce

These cutlets are crispy on the outside and squashy and cheesy on the inside. (Husband thought I’d made mutton cutlets :D) They do taste like mutton.

POTATO-MUSHROOM CUTLET

Ingredients:

                                                                                                  

Button mushrooms- 250 gms

Potato (medium sized, boiled) – 3

Onion (large) - 1

Cheese – 1 cup

Ginger-Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp (as per taste)

Turmeric- ¼ tsp

Garam Masala Powder- 1 tsp

Salt – as per taste

Bread crumbs

Method:

1.      Boil the potatoes and coarsely mash them.

2.      Finely chop the onions and mushrooms.

3.      Grate the cheese.

4.    Fry the onions along with the ginger-garlic paste. Once the onions turn pinkish brown, add the mushrooms.

5.    Increase the heat while sautéing the mushroom and continue until the mushrooms have browned.

6.    Add the spices and stir well and cook for another two minutes.

7.     Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool. Once cooled, add the grated cheese and mix well.

8.     Flatten into patties.

9.     Add a little salt into the breadcrumbs and coat the patties well with it.

10. Shallow fry until the patties brown.

11. Serve with mint chutney/tomato ketchup/sweet chilli sauce/ honey mustard sauce.

12. Done.

Recipe Notes:

·  Though not always required, if you like your cutlets crispy, you can coat them in breadcrumbs/semolina/rice flour or cornflour and if you feel the cakes are falling apart, you may add shredded bread into it and then coat with egg-flour mixture. Since cheese is added to this recipe, I would recommend a coating.

·     Do not cook mushrooms on low heat. As they leave water, they’ll continue being cooked in the liquid and won’t brown nicely. Cook them on high or medium-high so as to evaporate the water quickly.

·        Peas would have tasted great in these cutlets. I forgot to buy peas.

·   I make breadcrumbs at home. Whizz slices of bread in the mixie and you have the breadcrumbs ready. ( I do not toast the breadcrumbs)

·      You can also add half a cup of finely chopped mint and coriander to the cutlet. Cook it along with the mixture first.